THE SUPER-AMERICANS

KIRKUS REVIEW

The Super Americans, is subtitled ""A Picture of Life in The United States, as Brought into Focus, Bigger than Life, in the Land of the Millionaires -- Texas."" Ever since Texas was supplanted by Alaska as the largest State, Lone Star Staters have had to cast about for a new peg upon which to hang their traditional braggadocio. It is not really enough for them that ""the life-style in Texas is marked by bravado, zest, optimism, sbullience, and swaggering self-confidence...The incessant repetition of the tribal chant singing out their uniqueness and superiority produces in the natives the expected result: they begin to believe their own publicity..."" And so they combine a good tax break with impulses and finance some of the most lavish cultural centers in the South; their leaders exhibit a most disarming pro bono publico attitude; and their merchant princes are exemplified by ""Mr. Stanley"" Marcus, ""a one-man definitive oracle on what constitutes good taste in all Texas,"" who stands at the pinnacle of salesmanship with Nelman Marcus, ""the most noted commercial ornament of the Southwest"". This is the story of Dallas, prim as a 19th century schoolmarm; of San Antone, relaxed and friendly; of Fort Worth and Houston and Muleshoe and places in between, places where even the really work hard, and of them it is said ""the last thing he wants is for anybody to call him one of the rich"". It's easy to fall in love with Texas while under Mr. Bainbridge's spell.

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